If you’re pregnant, or have recently been pregnant you might have noticed that you were tested for syphilis more frequently than you might have been in any previous pregnancies.
This is because the incidence of syphilis infections has risen quite a bit over the last decade in Australia and this is particularly a problem if you are infected while pregnant.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection but can also be passed between an infected mother/pregnant person to their baby. This causes something called congenital syphilis which can have devastating outcomes for a baby, or even death.
Usually it starts with a rash, but sometimes the rash is mild, and sometimes you can be infected and it can stay around for a while and you might not know you have it before severe symptoms start to appear. The only way to know for sure is to be tested.
It’s particularly important if you’re mob, as this outbreak has been affecting First Nations communities more severely.
And it’s really easy to treat, if we know about it!
Unfortunately, Australia is no longer meeting WHO targets to eliminate congenital syphilis.
What this means for you if you are pregnant is that instead of one test at the start of your pregnancy, there are now three – one at the start, one at around 24-28 weeks (usually done at the same time as your glucose tolerance test) and another at the end of your pregnancy, either just before or at the time you give birth.
Of course, no testing in pregnancy is compulsory, and informed consent is really important! Have a look at the information and have a chat to either me, your midwife or whoever your birthing provider is. (I am, as many of you are aware, always delighted to talk about the evidence until the cows come home!)
Here’s some further information for you to have a look at.
Dr Gillian Riley 
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